Problem of National Integration

PROBLEM OF NATIONAL INTEGRATION

National integration is a sentiment in which the people of a country have the feeling of living together with goodwill for all, the desire of cooperation and sympathy for each other, the willingness to forget differences of caste, language, religion and region, etc., to work together for the welfare of the country. National unity or national integration finds its expression through the feeling of oneness, common identity, nationalism, patriotism and a sense of loyalty towards the nation. When the feeling of cooperation and brotherhood manifests itself in the sense of mutual oneness among the citizens of the nation, it becomes conscious of national unity, identity and integrity. National integration is the awareness of a common identity amongst the citizens of a country. It means that though we belong to different castes, religions and regions and speak different languages we recognize the fact that we are all one. This kind of integration is very important in the building of a strong and prosperous nation.

Definition of National Integration

1. According to Dorothy Thompson, “Nation integration is a feeling that binds the citizens of a country.”

2. According to the Education Commission Report, “National integration includes a confidence in nation’s future, a continuous rise in the standard of living, development of feeling of values and duties, at good and impartial administrative system and mutual understanding.”

3. According to S. N. Panda, “National integration is a psychological phenomenon, a feeling of oneness that raises above all narrow and divisive tendencies and makes for genuine patriotism and progress.”

Challenges or Issues to national integration

India is a country with innumerable diversities, an entity composed of many communities, races, classes, languages and sub-cultures. In any such nation, there are many obstacles to the achievement of national integration. In India the following hindrances are obstructing the growth of national feeling:

1. Diversity of Constituents:

India is a heterogeneous society. It is made of a number of diverse groups. The first potential threat to the Indian nation-state lies in this plurality. The Indian society was and is divided in terms of religion, caste, language and ethnic origin.

The British were able to somewhat control the diverse groups by following the policy of pitting one group against the other. But the divisive tendencies were sharply manifested even during the nationalist movement when different groups apparently united to remove British rule from India.

One of the more serious challenges that Indian national leaders in India face even now is how to integrate the interests of the divergent group. Each of them has its own distinctive aspirations, history, and way of life. Attempts to minimize confrontation between conflicting groups do not always succeed. As we have already seen, the adoption of an egalitarian model of society is one important strategy to contain divisive tendencies. It is, of course, necessary that these divisions are not allowed to threaten the nation-state.

2. Regionalism and Cultural Identities:

Regionalism is also a threat to national integration. Some of the social elements having their separate cultural identity want to preserve it even at a political level and for this purpose, some of these segments want further reorganization of the states.

We find that national politics in our country is still marked by the emergence of regional nationalities. This is quite evident in the formation of States on linguistic basis. It is also evident in demands by some regional identities such as the Gorkha for Gorkhaland, for example.

The creation of Jharkhand State is the outcome of the demands of some tribals. Similarly, the Gorkha hill Council was created in 1988.

Despite the early gains of consolidation of the nation-state, diverse cultural identities asserted themselves. One example of this is the opposition in the Southern States to Hindi as the national language. Another example is the demand for reorganization of states.

As matter of fact, national level politics has recognized the existence of regional and cultural identities and the Central Government has even provided legal sanctions.

3. Casteism:

Casteism has always played a dirty role in matters of politics and reservation policy and has created a wide gulf between different segments of society. Unfortunately, the caste system has been recognized by the framers of the Constitution by providing protective discrimination to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Though the reservation was made for a limited period, it is being extended from time to time. The reservation of seats in the educational institutions and jobs on the caste basis has strengthened the caste feeling and resulted in the possibilities of new types of inequalities and caste conflict.

As casteism is considered a social evil and caste ideology do not go well with the egalitarian model of a socialist society, the role of caste in national politics is viewed as a necessary evil. It is seen as a factor that poses a challenge to the task of nation-building. All the same in the absence of an alternative basis for people to come together, caste continues to play a decisive role in Indian national politics.

From what has been discussed so far, it is obvious that the task of building a nation-state is not an easy exercise. A growing realization is that national integration is the key to achieving a political identity.

4. Linguism:

Due to linguistic and regional loyalties, the national feeling gradually erodes. Linguistic tensions are manifested in the borders which are bilingual. For example, Goans are divided on the basis of Konkani and Marathi Languages. There is also conflict between Marathi and Kannada-speaking people in Belgaum.

Language has become, especially since Independence, a powerful source of political articulation. For instance in the South, particularly in Tamil Nadu, language sentiments have been propagated among the people for getting power within State politics.

The people of different linguistic groups who are concentrated in a State seem to think only in terms of the interests of their own States. This undermines consideration of national issues and causes parochial feelings. The erosion of national feeling due to linguistic loyalties threatens the sovereignty of our country.

5. Communalism:

Broadly defined, communalism refers to the tendency of any socio-religious group to maximize its economic, political and social strength at the cost of other groups. This tendency runs counter to the notion of the secular nation–state that India purports to be. Secularism in the Indian context is defined as the peaceful co-existence of all religions without State patronage to any of them. The State is to treat all of them equally. Yet, in a secular State like India, we very often hear, see and read about communal conflicts. While making conscious efforts towards the goals of democracy and socialism, the Indian national State has not been free of communal clashes.

There is historical evidence to prove that various religious communities in India have coexisted peacefully through time. Of course, there is also evidence that reflects the conflict between religious communities. The most well-known clashes have been between Hindus and Muslims. One of the major social problems of India in the 80s has been the communal divide problem. When one group asserts its interests and identity at the cost of another group, communal divides emerge. Some cities such as Moradabad, Meerut, Aligarh and Boroda etc. have appeared as the centres of communal riots.

6. Social Inequalities:

In every society, there is a system of social stratification. Social stratification refers to inequality in society based on unequal distribution of goods, services, wealth, power, prestige, duties, rights, obligations and privileges. Take for example, the social inequalities created by the caste system.

Being a hereditary and endogamous system, the scope for social mobility is very little. Social privileges and financial and educational benefits are by and large accessible only to upper caste groups. Social inequalities have a disintegrating effect on the process of nation-building.

7. Regional Disparities:

The unequal development of different regions of India has negatively affected the character of national integration. The unequal development has become the major cause of many social movements after independence. For instance, the Jharkhand movements which involved tribal groups from Bihar, M.P. Bengal and Orissa stress the backwardness of the region among other issues. While demanding a separate State, people involved in this movement argue that the rich natural resources of the area have been drained out to benefit others.

The dissatisfaction caused by the perceived and/or actual threat of material deprivation has led people to think that the socio-economic development of their region is not possible if they continue to be a part of the Indian Union. Thus the regional disparities in terms of socio­-economic development have at times proved to be a threat to the concept of a united nation-state.

8. Ethnonationality and Ethnic Conflicts:

Ethnonationalism and ethnic conflict have hindered national integration. Whereas the modern concept of nationalism is closely linked with the concept of the nation-state, scholars have described another prevailing notion of nationalism such as religious nationalism, ethnonationalism etc. Although nationhood is denied to the Nagas, the Nagas understand themselves as nation in the sense of ethnonationality. The concept of “ethnonationalsim” best defines the self-understanding of the ethnic groups in Northeast India in the various forms of their struggle for identity./Ethnonationalism is a phenomenon of political movement launched on the basis of ethnic identity. It is to mention that the nation-building came to be challenged by the eruption of ethnic conflicts.

In the political parlance of India today, the very term “North-East” has almost come to refer to a region characterized by ethnopolitical movements. Since India’s independence in 1947, we have not seen a single-decade of calm in the political atmosphere in the region. Instead, each decade saw new movements of political unrest, most of which turned to violent revolutions. One need not make a substantial argument to show that these movements have their origin in the ethnonational understanding of identity. Insurgency, an extreme form of ethnopolitical upsurge, has rocked five of seven States at one time or another, and the remaining two States are highly poised for a similar movement. Nibaran Bora’s words depict the situation well: Insurgency took roots in Nagaland and Manipur in the early fifties, immediately after the establishment of the Republic (of India), those in Mizoram in the sixties, in Tripura in the seventies, while in the case of Assam it has arrived in eighties. Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh are just now menacingly militant, not yet insurgent though Karbi Anglong (District of Assam) is equally poised.

9. Tribal Identity:

To a member of the Indian national mainstream, a Khasi, a Naga or Mizo are tribals. The pejorative term “tribal” carries a denotation of primitivity and inferiority of the people for whom the name is applied. The attitude of the national mainstream that primitivises and thereby inferiorizes the tribals is in serious conflict with the proud self-understanding of the tribals in the northeast. Such pride is exhibited in their ethnonational feeling.

Their fear of losing their identity was the major factor that led to ethnopolitical movements of insurgency. In tracing the historical development of insurgency in Nagaland, Asoso Yonuo attributes the people’s unpleasant experience of interaction with the ‘non-tribals’ to be one of the main causes of the revolution. The Naga National Council original demand was some sort of regional autonomy, he says, and in course of their interaction with the non-tribals, they developed the fear of losing their identity… in the midst of Hindu rule leading to a demand for outright sovereign independent Nagaland State.

10. Role of Political Parties:

The regional political parties play a dirty role in exploiting the regional feelings of the people. Regional political parties formed on the basis of linguism at times form the Government. States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir may be cited as examples in this regard. It has been experienced that such political parties in power often complicate the Centre-State relationship. In brief, it can be concluded that various forces pose challenges to national integration in India.

The multiethnic and multicultural setting of India and India’s struggle to define its nationhood since nationalist movement provided fertile soil for the development of ethnoationalism and other forms of identity-quest. India as a ‘notion’ also suffers an acute identity crisis. As G. Aloysiw has rightly noted, Indian nationalism, so far, has failed to construct the nation in India. While the dominant Indian culture at the centre continues its quest for self-identity, those in the periphery react to such potentially hegemonic and oppressive movements. Although existing as a nation-state for the last fifty years, India has been struggling to find the central integrative force that can bind us together as a ‘nation’.

India with its vastness both from the point of view of the geographical spectrum, social diversities, and culture and spiritual autonomy, has always been a political federacy. The modern concept of nationhood has rechristened the entire mind and body politic of the country. The promotion of national solidarity through the generation of a new climate conducive to it has been the goal of great men and major political institutions of the country.

A cross-current of religions and rituals, castes and subcastes, creeds and colours, diet and dress patterns, dialects, scripts and languages and above all localism and regionalism presents a historic political scenario that demands wholesome sociological attention. India has believed in the past and believes today that creativity and change through continuity and a sense of unity amidst diversities are paramount to national integration.

Solutions to Save the National Integration

There are many programmes and plans for removing these hindrances. Education can become a very powerful instrument for national unity provided that it is used in the right manner.

National integration is the awareness of a common identity amongst the citizens of a country. It means that though we belong to different castes, religions and regions and speak different languages we recognize the fact that we are all one. This kind of integration is very important in the building of a strong and prosperous nation. Unity in our country does not mean the kind of oneness that comes from racial and cultural similarities. It is unity in spite of great differences, in other words, unity in diversity. An important historical event in which this unity was displayed was the freedom movement when all the Indians united against British rule. National Integration is a positive aspect. It reduces socio-cultural and economic differences and inequality and strengthens national unity and solidarity which is not imposed by any authority. People share ideas, values and emotional bonds. It is a feeling of unity within diversity. National identity is supreme. Cultural unity, constitutional and territorial continuity, common economic problems, art, literature,   national festivals, national flag, national anthem and national emblem promote National integration. A unique feature of our country is that all the major religions of the world are practised here like Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. There are also great varieties in costume, food habits, and social customs. Geographically our land is diverse and there are amazing differences in climate. Despite all these differences, India is a political entity, every part of which is governed under the same Constitution. We have to co-exist with each other peacefully, respect the culture and religion of our fellow Indians.

How can there be solutions to save the National Integration in India, let’s try to highlight the following points.

1. Individuals are the pillars of the nation. Each and every individual should have a duty to save the nation’s peace and integrity

2. Proper education will give the people the maturity and peace of mind

3. Our political system should be built strong enough; we need proper leaders, who will work for the people, really. 

4. The Police force should not indulge in bribes and other illegal activities. 

5. The Law and order system should be easy for the common people. 

6. Let me conclude this with the proper sentence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru “There is no division between North and South, East and West of India. There is only one India of which all us are inheritors, it belongs to all of us”. 

COMMUNALISM AND CASTEISM ARE THE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

Communalism and casteism are the two most important problems today which are really destroying the fabric of united India. The two are different in nature and scope but at the base of the things both promote hatred and ill-will towards the other communities or castes. That results in very pernicious trends affecting the nation-building process and growth of the nation.

Communalism is not thinking about their own communities. It is also not being conscious of their own identities and doing something which pursues their interests. But communal feelings start when one community thinks in a hostile manner towards the other communities. It is also when the communities or religion is used to further the political interests of the vested groups. When one religious group tries to prove its dominance over the others and at the same time feels that others are bad, the real communal feelings grow.

Similar is the case with casteism. Everybody is born to a particular caste or community. It is predestined. But the feeling that my caste is superior to others is really very bad which ultimately promotes ill-will and hatred. In India, there are 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each based on their specific occupation. Caste composition in different States is different. If the feeling of hostility towards each other increases, the days are not far to see another Bosnia or Lebanon even in this country.

In modern times communal passions have been aroused for one reason or the other. There is no doubt that British rule was responsible for ‘divide and rule’ policy by which one community was used against the other. It created divisions in the minds of the people which was reflected in sharing or distribution of the limited resources, e.g., in employment and education. The feeling of majority and minority developed and got sharpened which is relevant even today. Both types of communalism whether majority or minority are equally dangerous for society. One feeds on the other and reinforces each other.

Religion is a personal affair of the people and it should remain so. But when the political parties started using it for their own personal ends, religion became a mobilizing factor to secure votes. BJP, Akali Dal and Muslim League directly or indirectly started mobilizing people on religious lines. Even the State could not remain neutral and hold the concept of secularism in practice. During the riots, the police do not remain impartial which further aggravates the tensions. Once a riot takes place in an area, it leaves scars of divisions in the minds of people which remain for many years to come. The people have not forgotten even the trauma of 1947 partition is a case in point.

The other major failure has been proper education. The right education has not been imparted to the children which carry a particular mindset that is very inflexible hampering the real progress towards communal harmony in this county. In the past, even a rumour has led to the riot which shows total ignorance towards knowing the truth and rigid attitudes. The real education in understanding others’ religion, clearing doubts and changing attitudes has been missing right from the family to school levels. In addition to this, the communal feeling got aggravated by the balancing role played by the ruling party at Centre against each other to secure its vote banks. This ultimately resulted into a disastrous situation culminating in the destruction of Babri Masjid which is really condemnable.

Equally worse is the situation on the other side of the coin. There was a time when modernizing influence was influencing lives, it was felt that caste was losing its hold or influence. Untouchability was on wane and interlining, inter-caste marriages were increasing, at the same time, the mobilizing influence of caste was gaining ground. Anti-Brahmin Movements in the South were at the forefront. Caste solidarity among the lower castes against the upper castes was assuming political overtones. Candidates were selected on the basis of caste composition of the constituency. It went on increasing. It touched almost all the states in the country. Soon the northern states were inflicted with this malaise. The feeling of upper castes vs lower castes was on the ascent. Many caste riots have been seen in Bihar and U.P., the most caste politics ridden states.

Finally, the politics of reservation started playing havoc with the social fabric of the nation. Caste consciousness was at its peak during Mandal agitation when the Mandal Commission report was announced to be implemented. Janata Dal (JD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) openly play caste politics. BJP is also not left out of it. In every political party, caste composition is taken into consideration at every level. If JD plays the politics of Other Backward Class (OBCs), then BSP plays the card of Dalits. It has become a number game. It has become so alarming that even the protection of statues has become the greatest challenge for security personnel as well as the aftermath of violence resulting from it. This feeling of one against the other has vitiated the atmosphere of goodwill and harmony amongst the people. The people become the victim of petty politics of politicians who very swiftly try to manage the affairs to serve their own ends. The administration is also not keeping to be neutral in their action. It is alleged that in U.P. the administration has become casteist.

Here again, real education is missing which can really make citizens wise and not fall into the trap of politicians and criminals. The problem of limited resources will be there but if distributional policies become biased and communal and casteist, it is going to be a real threat to the survival of the country. The solution comes from sacred feelings that no religion or caste is bad. One should not think of superiority or inferiority regarding any religion or caste because basically, this country is multiethnic, multi-religious and multi-linguistic. We have lived for so many years together in peace and harmony. So it is not difficult to be in the same harmony provided we are tolerant towards others and united and cautious against the vested and bad elements.